Moral or immoral

​Moral or immoral
 
One of the questions which theologians, philosophers  and spiritual leaders have grappled with over the centuries has been the question of morality.   Sadly, the answer to this question has been complicated by:
 

• Various religious leaders claiming to know what the alleged one true god or gods expected or demanded of his/her believers or subjects.
• Often there were seemingly two sets of rules;  one for the aristocratic/royal/ruling/wealthy class and for the lower/poorer/working class.
• Until very recent history information flowed largely to the ruling class or so-called educated class.
• There was  confusion or disagreement about whether the welfare of  the majority should decide what was good or moral or whether some things were intrinsically moral.
• The suspicion that rules about morality were intended to control or keep the lower/working/poorer classes in line so that they did not threaten the power of the ruling/upper/royal, aristocratic class.
• The myth that the distribution of wealth and other  earthly rewards were given to those who deserved them or those who pulled themselves up by their own bootstraps regardless of oppressive laws and rules which ensured that many individuals or groups of individuals would not have access to the means to move out of poverty or other dire circumstances.

 
Increasingly,  the myth and/or hypocrisy of these overt and covert rules is more available to much of the population.   Whether it is the authority of the law, religious leaders or others it is increasingly impossible to pretend as if morality is defined the same for all. No matter what the laws of a nation state or religious body dictate it is obvious the same moral rules do not apply to all.  Whether it is tax breaks given to the rich, authority and protection given to the church leaders, power given to the one with the  more  and most powerful weapons, or the power of connection to the most expensive and skilled attorneys it is increasingly obvious that we continue to live  even here in the United States as Isabel Wilkerson proports in her recent book Caste:  The Origins of Our Discontent divided by caste with very different rules for each group or caste.
 
How then is one to determine what is moral or immoral.  If we give up the delusions that the church authorities or the state authorities/rule-law makers are qualified to discern or proclaim what is moral,  what are the criteria or parameters for rules/moral which would please the gods or at least be universally true?  Perhaps we could begin with the following criteria for discerning what is moral:
 

• Moral imperatives must apply equally to every person while also allowing for situational differences.
• If situational, money, class, or power cannot be the factors which determines if something is moral.
• They must not benefit one person or group of people at the expense of another.
• They must take into account whether a person is capable of experiencing a shared reality.   Mental Illness including active addiction often precludes a shared reality.
• They must take into account the ability to experience empathy or approximate empathy.   Some have a disorder which prevents them from considering the feelings or needs of another (autism for example)_
• They must take into account short- and long-term consequences.

 
I am sure that the readers can suggest some other criteria moral rules or imperatives should meet.   We humans are not likely to agree on a clear set of moral rules or imperatives but perhaps we can agree that we need to move closer to being able to apply moral rules or imperatives to all regardless of race, class, financial status, power status, gender, age or sexual orientation.  Clearly those who are powerless deserve the same treatment as those with power.   We must also be clear about how we, as a society, understand such issues as power and consent. 
 
The ultimate goal of moral rules or imperatives need to be clear.  In my mind the goal is to identify and correct those behavior which are not in synch with the whole; which do not serve to enhance  all the parts working as a whole.  We, as a society, must then move on to determine how to restore balance to the whole.  Obviously punishment never restores long term balance.
 
This are challenging issues.  I sincerely believe we are capable of embracing these challenges.
 
Written August 27, 2020
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org